The mission of our U54 entitled Biophysical and molecular dialogue of glioma cells and the brain microenvironment is to bring together experts from basic neurosciences, cancer biology, engineering, radiology, imaging, brain pathology, and surgery, and, as a team within the Center and within the national TMEN network, support and nurture an interdisciplinary environment and research that: (1) originates and tests novel, interdisciplinary-sciences based approaches to understanding, controlling and treating aggressive brain tumors; (2) generates orthogonal sets of physical and molecular measurements and integrates them with existing knowledge on brain tumors from the perspective of the tumor microenvironment; (3) develops and evaluates molecular and physical approaches to provide a comprehensive and dynamic picture of brain tumors that define the tissue microenvironment of high-grade gliomas; (4) disseminates these novel approaches and tools throughout the TMEN network and the larger scientific community; (5) exploits resources and scientific expertise within the UCSF scientific community; (6) leverages, efficiently and cost-effectively, existing NCI resources, both locally and nationally; and (7) educates the public and scientists at all levels (undergraduate to senior investigators) about the work and goals of the TMEN.